AIPAC won’t let us report on its policy conference

The AIPAC policy conference begins on Sunday, the annual hoedown of the leading Israel lobby organization, attended by hundreds of congresspeople to discuss such questions as US support for Israel attacking Iran. We wanted to cover it.

Yesterday evening and this morning we each received the same email from Maureen Higgins, who works at Scott Circle Communications, which is handling the conference:

Thank you for your interest in attending this year’s AIPAC Policy Conference as a member of the press. However, press credentials for the conference will not be issued to you. We regret any inconvenience this may have caused.

Update: Scott Roth, our publisher, was also rejected. And last year a bunch of folks were rejected, including Mitchell Plitnick and an alternet writer. Hey; can’t take the heat, get out of the kitchen.

Just like the Zionists do at pro peace events. They sneak in just to find something negative to say. And if they cant do that they just fabricate. Only difference is someone attending aipac conference wouldnt have to make up anything negative and they know it. Which is why they dont want critical organizations attending

@ Real Jew
Yeah Phil & Alex should have known this would happen, especially this year with the Hagel thing and Obama about to visit Israel, and the sequestration spending cuts, etc. They should have trusted and picked a few peeps under the Zionist radar to go to the AIPAC conference, and report back to them. I sure would’ve gone, and I bet lots of other MW regulars.

We know what it will be about anyway. More money for Israel and bombing Iran.
And all the “US” politicians will as usual pledge allegiance to Israel and swear to spend every last drop of US blood and treasure for Israel and Zionism.

Stop AIPAC should be outside the conference entrance with a herd of donkeys with different attending politicians names on them and signs saying ‘ Hey America! -Watch your Israel -Firsters Fellating the Donkey for AIPAC”

You bet there are ways in. But Phil, Alex and Scott did it the honorable way but had to know there was not a snowballs chance in hell they were getting in by being honest. Contact Code Pink….But of course Aipac is on the look out for them and by now they know what Phil looks like. Ask one of your Senators if you can carry their brief case in or brief case out filled with Aipac dough.

So much for democracy and freedom of the press. We all know when it comes to Israel or the lobby freedom of the press is bought and paid for.

@ Annie Robbins
I can’t think of a single person in any part of the public eye who can get in unnoticed to bring us a report. Phil and Alex should have contacted some pen-named MW regular commenters. Phil did not even ask us, even those of us who have been loyally with his blog since virtually its onset. We would have delivered the goods. Our value would be that we took good notes and gave them to MW. Our factual reporting, naming names, and propaganda/hasara would have been persuasive.

Citizen, it would have been a really good idea – and could pay dividends. But issuing such an appeal would require accepting commenters as something of a “community” attached to the blog that can produce “reporting” value, which is something other than the general support that’s kind of taken for granted. Recognition of the value of a commentariat community is IMO too revolutionary an idea, especially when a blog that started out as individual undertaking – somewhere on the fringes of the mainstream – is at a point in its evolution where it strives to branch into the legitimacy of the journalistic center.

The issue I think is that there is this trench that divides the anonymous from the physically revealed. The price of anonymity is a certain lack of legitimacy, except as an appendage that can be used to measure the popularity of the online outlet (be it a blog, a twitter feed or a Huffington Post off-MSM aggregator). That trench IMO has an even deeper symbolic meaning as the line dividing the “real” off-line existence from the online persona. It’s a line-in-the-sand that many don’t care – or dare – to cross, in either direction.

I do agree with you that such a reaching out to the commenter community could pay serious dividends in certain situations, as there are advantages in anonymity, and clearly there are many highly adept and capable individuals who read – and sometimes comment on this blog, And some may well be in a good position to lend a hand. But to reach out to them may require more imagination and risk taking than a blog that deals in highly contentious issues may be ready for.

Of course, if we were all teenagers, none of this would be a problem. The younger set seems to have no issues crossing lines – back and forth. but then, they don’t have the problem of having a life-long reputation to protect, do they?

Hi. I am very old. & don’t have a lot of money. There’s not much I would stick my neck out for. But I would’ve gone to the AIPAC meeting, just to carry information back to Phil, this blog. It’s that important to me. I really think the “special relationship” is a cancer on both USA & Israeli communities. I’ve thought this since 1969, at least, when I was a very young.

@ doug
Yeah, Phil’s been stamped EVIL. I wonder if that fully registered with his wife? I don’t think he will be appearing in an episode of Jerry Seinfeld’s Cackle series, where Jerry goes to take coffee with his friends in really neat old cars, which, I am sure, the cost of which Jerry takes off his income tax as business expenses.

Get out of a black limo in front of the convention center yell out “Jews lives are more valuable than Palestinians” and they will roll out the red carpet.

Here is one of the many encounters I had with an attendant that Jeffrey Blankfort caught on tape outside of the Aipac conference and chimed in after I asked this older gentleman (who was scoffing as I asked a Palestinian who had lost I believe two brothers to the IDF about his views) if he thought a Jewish life was more valuable than a Palestinians life. Racism is rampant amongst many of the attendees and those I talked with who were lobbying congress. Lots of racist

This is out in front of the Aipac conference in 2011

Me (Kathleen) “he lost his Palestinians brothers”
Jewish Attendee “so”
Kathleen “are their lives as valuable as a Jewish life”
Jeffrey “Is a Jewish life more valuable than a Palestinian life”
Aipac Attendee “yes” and “yes”again.

@ Kathleen
This incident really depresses me. What do we do about the likes of Hagee? He doesn’t care that the Jewish Zionists think he’s a sweaty, fat, ugly goy moron, just easily expendable cannon fodder for the Zionist cause.

Well first you sneak into Duke Univ labs and steal a invisibility cloak. Then in your invisibility cloak you sneak into Hagee’s quarters and speak in a God like voice telling him to go the roof and his power on earth will be expanded beyond his wildest dreams and then….you know…..give him a shove.

WASHINGTON (JTA) — The Israeli ambassador in Washington hosted the launching of a new congressional grouping dedicated to improving Israeli-Greek-Cypriot ties.

Attending the launch Wednesday were the co-chairmen of the newly established -Hellenic-Israel Caucus,- Reps. Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.) and Ted Deutch (D-Fla.), as well as lawmakers including Reps. John Sarbanes (D-Md.) and Eliot Engel (D-NY), the senior Democrat on the US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee.
Greek-Cypriot-Israeli ties have become closer in recent years as tensions between all three nations and Turkey have intensified for varying reasons.
Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren in his remarks at the dinner at his residence touted shared economic and strategic interests among Greece, Cyprus and Israel.>>>

I should start saving all these examples of the US Congress actually acting as if it is Israel and publish a book of them—-how is the relation between Israel, Greece and Cyprus the business of the US congress?
Let’s see now—we give Israel billions we don’t have and can’t afford, we protect their criminality and exempt them from international law, we go so far as to cut our own social programs for weapons to Israel instead, we literally wipe their asses for them every time they poop anywhere, in the US we give it’s supporters tax breaks on giving to Israel that no one else gets for similar charity, we give their US brethern 89% of all Homeland domestic security funds. And I don’t know what it would be now, but 2 years ago when I did a count on thomas.gov of Israel bills passed it came to an average of 2 a week in bills and resolutions combined.
And now congress is acting as Israel’s Diplomatic Agent for it’s Foreign Affairs and as the Israeli State Department?

Walt say the Lobby is still as powerful as ever and Obama will do next to nothing because his own party will fight him on Israel. I agree. It always comes down to party interest and individual politicans career interest in campaign donations and donors. ..the Dems aren’t going to go against the I First funders.

It is true more of the US public is more aware and pisssed about the ‘foreign’ Isr Lobby but the public hasn’t used their pissed off-ness to attack the politicians on it enough and until they do in sufficient numbers the politicians won’t change.

If the lobby is as powerful as ever Hagel would have not made it in. Walt is wrong on that piece but more than likely right that Obama will not be challenging them again any time soon. But you just never know

If the lobby is as powerful as ever Hagel would have not made it in.>>>>

You may right and Walt wrong…but if you are right it means the Dems went against the lobby for once—-which means they might do it again ..or …..they might make it up to the lobby by being extra subservient on something else.

American
Don’t see a change since Jews donate about two-thirds of Democratic party funding. No change in Israel First status quo unless major change in campaign finance laws. Double so, since Adelson ilk also works to finance, rubber-stamp Israel right along with Saban ilk. Nothing will change as aware folks simply don’t have the cash to counter this. Not to mention, the Zionist controlled main media. Nothing will cause an American light bulb to flick on except WW 3–luckily, we could have that soon with Iran., thanks to the Zionists and their hillbilly whores in congress.

You gotta be kidding me. Look at the wall, Kathleen, the handwriting is all over it. Hagel sold out, so there was no reason for AIPAC and the Congressional whores to draw attention to themselves by continuing to oppose his nomination. Your optimism is amazing, considering how long you have been engaged in actual hands-on activism. But acceptance of the true situation is essential if you really expect to change anything. Hagel is a sell-out. Period.

Some of those subject congressional whores continued to publicly oppose Hagel even after it was obvious he would be confirmed, so too certain Jewish org and media voices. And thus, they have drawn attention to themselves. We will soon see, apropos Obama’s trip to Israel this month, if the Lobby still controls the USA regarding anything impacting Israel, even a bit of dust.

Bilirakis and Deutch may be a little hard to campaign against, but Sarbanes’ and Eliot Engel’s positions are sensitive to the Greek vote. A majority is in sympathy with Palestinians; only a tiny fascist minority is receptive to Zionist pressure. There are ways to publicize this extensively in the right places.

Be patient children…it’s all coming to an end eventually, just prepare for a long debilitating illness till we expire.
Cause nothing is as true as the following :
Nothing the US congress does makes sense for the country.

It’s been a bad week for the United States. If ever the world wanted another example of America’s dysfunction and decline, this would be the time to see how the “Ball of Confusion” just rolled right over us.

Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong’s lyrics from the Temptations’ 1970s hit chronicled the many destructive forces tearing at the fabric of American society 40-odd years ago, but they could just as well have been describing the United States of 2013.
America’s enemies must be having a good laugh as they look at our strategic confusion, unbelievably petty politics, and, well, just plain stupidity.

It’s hard to make sense of it all, but that may be because things just don’t make any sense any more — as Whitfield and Strong suggested.

On the one hand, the Congress appears intent on forcibly shrinking the size of government and throwing the country into a recession at the same time that it’s girding for another war that would have to be fought by, guess who — the very same government that is starving of cash and being supported by an economy that will only grow weaker as a result.

Astonishingly, as the Department of Defense and other Federal agencies are handing out furlough notices to employees the Senate appears set to take up a joint resolution endorsing the idea of the United States joining an Israeli attack on Iran.”

Have to say though I think these lyrics better express where Americans and all the peoples of the world are today, caught between the corrupt clowns and cowardly joker governments of the world.

♫ Well I don’t know why I came here tonight,
I got the feeling that something ain’t right,
I’m so scared in case I fall off my chair,
And I’m wondering how I’ll get down the stairs,
Clowns to the left of me,
Jokers to the right, here I am,
Stuck in the middle with you.

Yes I’m stuck in the middle with you,
And I’m wondering what it is I should do,
It’s so hard to keep this smile from my face,
Losing control, yeah, I’m all over the place,
Clowns to the left of me, Jokers to the right,
Here I am, stuck in the middle with you.

Well you started out with nothing,
And you’re proud that you’re a self made man,
And your friends, they all come crawlin,
Slap you on the back and say,
Please…. Please…..

Trying to make some sense of it all,
But I can see that it makes no sense at all,
Is it cool to go to sleep on the floor,
‘Cause I don’t think that I can take anymore
Clowns to the left of me, Jokers to the right,
Here I am, stuck in the middle with you.

Well I don’t know why I came here tonight,
I got the feeling that something ain’t right,
I’m so scared in case I fall off my chair,
And I’m wondering how I’ll get down the stairs,
Clowns to the left of me,
Jokers to the right, here I am,
Stuck in the middle with you,
Yes I’m stuck in the middle with you,
Stuck in the middle with you. ♫

While unemployed Americans are getting cuts to their unemployment insurance because of the spending cuts taking effect, AIPAC activists will be lobbying to ensure their 3-billion plus handout remains untouched and Congress will be fawning all over them while they turn a deaf ear to their own. These Zionist MOOCHERS could care squat about the unemployed in America as long as they have the necessary funds to carry on with their illegal, criminal occupation and oppression operation against Palestinians.

This guy put it more precisely:

“There are parasites. Some are rather harmless. When their host goes hungry they will also go hungry. Others are more demanding. Even a hungry host will not stop them from feasting:
At a time when sequestration is about to take a big bite out of the Pentagon budget, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) will be sending thousands of its citizen lobbyists to Capitol Hill next week to make sure Israel is exempted from any spending cuts. ”

And you’re surprised they want to control the message? The Lobby is but the poisoned fruit of the fascist tree.

Pity the poor, gullible American masses who are being led by the nose into yet another war fabricated by Zionists, and who are ready to sacrifice their children and their own welfare to benefit a bunch of PARASITES.

From what I witnessed the religious Jews like Rabbi Weiss who protest outside of the Aipac conference take the most heat from the attendees. I saw the Aipac attendees pushing and pulling these religious Jews for protesting the conference. They get rough with these fellows Rabbi Weiss is so cool answers questions clearly. He is a true believer in his religion
Rabbi Weiss

“I saw the Aipac attendees pushing and pulling these religious Jews for protesting the conference’…kathleen

That doesn’t surprise me at all, they hate them more than they hate the non Jewish Israel antis……even when they attack and write about anti zionist Jews they literally drip with venom 10 xs viler than they can manage to heap on the non Jews…..f******* bastards.

Not sure if Hedy Epstein will be attending the Occupy Aipac events but if you have the chance spend time in the presence of this little powerful Jewish woman who is so filled with compassion it is contagious. I had the honor of spending some time with her at the conference several years ago. I kept bringing young attendees (students who had had their way to the conference paid) of the conference over to speak with her. Had set up some chairs under a tree across from the conference for Hedy and those who would come and listen to her story and be overwhelmed by her love and compassion for all but specifically the Palestinians She turned their heads around and set them straight

Love Hedy Epstein for her remarkable courage and love for those suffering especially her focus on the Palestinians.

RE: “Thank you for your interest in attending this year’s AIPAC Policy Conference as a member of the press. However, press credentials for the conference will not be issued to you.” ~ Maureen Higgins
AND RE: “Scott Roth, our publisher, was also rejected. And last year a bunch of folks were rejected, including Mitchell Plitnick and an alternet writer.” ~ Weiss

● MY COMMENT: This example of press credentials being denied by AIPAC to anyone who might report unfavorably on their “policy conference” (e.g. question AIPAC’s “policies”) is yet another reason I fear that Revisionist Zionism and Likudnik Israel (specifically by virtue of their inordinate sway over the U.S.) might very well be an “existential threat” to the values of The Enlightenment [like “the right of free speech”] ! ! !“Down, down, down we [the U.S.] go into the deep, dark abyss; hand in hand with Israel.”

● P.S. AND HERE’S ANOTHER THREAT TO THE VALUES OF “THE ENLIGHTENMENT” (THIS TIME IN AFRICA):“US Religious Right Propelling Homophobia in African Countries”, by Common Dreams, 7/24/12
LINK – link to commondreams.org

Erdogan told the U.N. Alliance of Civilizations meeting in Vienna on Wednesday: “Just as with Zionism, anti-Semitism and fascism, it has become necessary to view Islamophobia as a crime against humanity.”

“We not only disagree with it, we found it objectionable,” Kerry told a news conference.

If Israel wants to hear positive statements from Turkey it needs to reconsider its attitude both towards us and towards the West Bank,” he (Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu) told the news conference.

As a Palestinian, your voices mean a lot to me and I’m sure to many other Palestinians. You provide a voice of hope, encouragement, reason, and justice that tells the whole world that there are a lot of decent and fair Americans, and that there will be more like you once Americans get a chance to read/hear the truth as it continues to escape the poisonous tentacles of AIPAC.

Regardless to what AIPAC is doing, keep it up. THANK YOU!

PS: Maybe one of you should join AIPAC so you have the right to be there….?

Alex and Phil, AIPAC doesn’t want you in so you don’t know what they are cooking. A breaking news example is the following: Obama just appointed another Zionist as his ME envoy, Philip Gordon. This is the Brookings/Saban Zionist. This is the guy who was quoted saying “There is not an AIPAC in Europe, but maybe there should be”.

There we go again, AIPAC winning. No Palestinian or Arab will trust a Zionist to be an honest and fair mediator. Another four years down the drain……..

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